Everything history should be!!!

Good and clear accounts of Byzantine history are a niche market and my surprise and delight knew no bounds on finding thus title in the most recent ‘fresh listens.’
Justinian features heavily in most general surveys of Byzantium of necessity but he is such an important and pivotal figure that he deserves a clear and well researched biography like this one.

It’s worth re-reading the introduction after completing the book because the author has stated his case concisely and cogently: Elsewhere he states that: ‘Had he died in 542, Justinian would have been considered a brilliant … emperor’ and very roughly that is the case he makes with both conviction and elegance. Sarrs’s research and use of the many and c
Various documentary resources other than Procopius ensures a balanced account with well chosen detail about his subject’s achievements in civil and religious life: the chapter on ‘the sleepless emperor’ is enlightening. The survey on buildings cries out for illystrations or even a PDF, beautifully written and clear as it is, but perhaps the most valuable of many insights in thus wonderful book is the author!s forensic treatment of Procopius , the historian of Belasarius’ military campaigns who seriously muddied the waters with his scandalous and highly entertaining demolition of Justinian and his dubious wife which is also to be found here on Audible.

The opening chapter on theological disputes in the 4th century is a model of clarity and balance, a standard which the author maintains throughout his account of Justinian’s rather chequered policy of holding to what commentators usually term ‘orthodoxy’ but which emerges here as Orthodoxy, with the capital O.

Sarris rightly emphasises that Justinian’s lasting achievement has proved to be the law codes; together with his buildings and town planning his genius subsisted in his choice of project managers, although Sarris argues a trifle mischievously that when Justinian interfered in anything himself things often went wrong , and his interpretation of parts of Procopius to that effect is hilarious.

Even for a listener unfamiliar with Byzantine history this audiobook should provide both knowledge and entertainment: its 15 hours passed very quickly and the reading is sympathetic and serves a wonderful text well enough.

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Great Narrator, and a great biography on Justinian I

I really enjoyed this book, and s great account on the life of Justinian I. If you like Byzantine history I would highly recomend this book

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